Stranded Wallington mum Petra van Korven could return home sooner as traveller cap to rise to 6000 a week
A Wallington mum faces a two-month wait to return to home because of travel caps that’s seen her bumped off six flights since August. But a rise to the cap may offer hope.
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THE family of a Wallington aged care worker stuck in the Netherlands hope a move to increase the cap on Australians returning home will bring her home sooner.
Petra van Korven, 63, who left Australia in July to be with her terminally ill mother, who has since died, faces a return to Geelong in mid November due to the current cap.
Ms van Korven’s, husband Walter, said she’d already been bumped off six flights since August but hoped the boost to the return-traveller weekly cap from 4000 to 6000 would get her home sooner.
“We can only hope really. If it gets to 6000 it would be great.”
He said Ms van Korven could return to Australia on an October 26 flight but that was not “set in concrete.”
Mr van Korven said his wife’s aged care employer needed her back because of staff shortages.
International flights into Victoria have been suspended since August which means Ms van Korven would have to quarantine for two weeks where she arrives.
The 4000 person cap on Australians returning home has led calls for the Prime Minister’s VIP plane and RAAF aircraft to be used, and state quarantine hubs to be expanded.
On Wednesday Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack asked state and territory leaders to take more Australians returning from overseas in a bid to lift the weekly arrival cap to 6000.
He said NSW has agreed to take an extra 500 Australians each week, South Australia has agreed to take an extra 360 people.
Mr McCormack said an extra 500 people would go into Western Australia, and hoped Queensland would take an extra 500 people.
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese said RAAF planes should be sent overseas to pick up the more than 20,000 stranded Australians.
“There are two large jets, but also smaller ones, that are available, and they could supplement,” Mr Albanese told ABC radio.
“There’s never been more capacity in terms of available aircraft. And there’s never been more capacity in terms of availability of hotels. But we have these people stranded.
“Early on, remember that Darwin was used, or a facility just outside of Darwin. There’s 3,000 spots there.”
This month the federal government began an interest-free loan scheme to allow eligible Australians stranded overseas to access up to $2,000 for singles and up to $5,000 for families.
More than 350,000 Australians have returned home after the Prime Minister urged Australians to return home earlier this year.
Originally published as Stranded Wallington mum Petra van Korven could return home sooner as traveller cap to rise to 6000 a week